Unsafe at home

When the media was flashing news on Duncan Grant, head of the childcare NGO Anchorage in Mumbai and a paedophile suspect, a similar incident...

When the media was flashing news on Duncan Grant, head of the childcare NGO Anchorage in Mumbai and a paedophile suspect, a similar incident with more serious import was making regional headlines in Vidarbha.

Aurangabad Zilla Parishad Social Welfare Officer Sahebrao Jadhav was arrested for allegedly sexually exploiting girls from Maheshmurti Bal Griha, a government-aided NGO run by his wife Nanda, at Akola.

Twelve-year old Shradha Pawar name changed ran away last week from the institute only to be caught and thrashed by Jadhav in public. Usha Deshmukh, who witnessed the incident, saved the girl and approached the police against Jadhav.

The lid was soon off the alleged malpractices at the destitute home. Shraddha complained of sexual abuse, later corroborated by other inmates. Jadhav was arrested on June 27 and sent to police custody by the local court. Nanda Jadhav refuted the allegations, saying that she can8217;t say anything 8216;8216;if the girls have chosen to put the things as they have.8217;8217; All 43 girls were shifted to Amravati8217;s Shasakiya Bal Griha.

Says District Child and Women8217;s Development Officer Harsha Deshmukh: 8216;8216;We always suspected that something was wrong in the two-year old institution. We had even served many show-cause notices, one of them recently, but got no replies. And we had come close to withdrawing their permission when this happened.8217;8217;

MAHESHMURTI Bal Griha is a government-aided NGO that runs five such other homes at Aurangabad, Parbhani, Hingoli and Washim. This incident only shows the collapse of the system that8217;s meant to help destitute kids.

8216;8216;These homes are there to prevent exploitation of kids on streets. But today, kids are safer on the street than in such homes,8217;8217; says John Menachery, president of Vardaan, an NGO that works for rehabilitation of destitute kids.

8216;8216;We need extremely committed workers with the ability to channelise the sexual developments in adolescent kids in a healthy manner, but do we have them?8217;8217; he adds. Experts also point out that though it is advisable not to allow working government officials to run such NGOs by proxy 8216;8216;as they know all the loopholes, there is no law stipulating that8217;8217;. For the aided NGOs, the returns are alluring. 8216;8216;They get Rs 750 per child per month as maintenance allowance. Plus, they get other grants worth lakhs,8217;8217; Menachery points out.

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Obviously, there are no stringent checks from the government. The Juvenile Justice Act JJA, 2000, provides for visiting committees for checks and child welfare committees for care of inmates. 8216;8216;It8217;s a Central act, so states don8217;t act in hurry,8217;8217; he says.

Hardha Deshmukh, however, says Akola did have one and it used to conduct regular checks. 8216;8216;But unless the girls come out in the open, what can we do?8217;8217;

State8217;s Deputy Commissioner Child Welfare D.V. Desawale refused to say anything on the state of Maharashtra8217;s destitute homes, only saying, 8216;8216;the action is under process against the Akola NGO.8217;8217;

Child and Women8217;s Welfare Minister Harshavardhan Patil and Commissioner Ashwin Kumar, however, couldn8217;t be reached. Jadhav, meanwhile, is out of his police custody remand.